Refractory materials have been used in recent years to prepare advanced materials having several desirable properties such as a high melting point, high hardness, excellent strength, and nonreactivity with a variety of other materials, e.g., corrosive gases. Composites of these refractory materials have also been prepared to provide specific mechanical, strength, and chemical resistivity characteristics. It is known to add titanium to refractory material composites to increase their melting points and electrical conductivities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,215 to Kleiner et al. discloses the preparation of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 --TiN by a reaction between ammonia and a gaseous mixture of SiCl.sub.4 and TiC.sub.4 at a temperature from about 1,100.degree. C. to about 1,350.degree. C. The resulting reaction product is then heated in dry nitrogen to a temperature of about 1,400.degree. C. for about two hours to produce crystalline Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 --TiN.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,639 to Sterzel discloses a process for preparing Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 --TiN, wherein ammonia is passed through a solution of a silicon halide and a titanium halide to produce a polymer which is thereafter pyrolyzed at a temperature from about 800.degree. C. to about 1,000.degree. C.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,455 to Suzuki et al. discloses a ceramic heater containing a Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 --Y.sub.2 O.sub.3 --TiN heater element. The titanium nitride-containing refractory material composite heater element is prepared by mixing together Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, Y.sub.2 O.sub.3, and TiN powders, and thereafter sintering the powder mixture at about 1,300.degree. C. for about one hour.
It would be desirable to prepare titanium nitride-containing refractory composite materials by a pyrolysis reaction utilizing a titanium-containing organometallic precursor and at least one refractory material powder.